UCL and Inria announce new collaborative research venture

We are pleased to announce a new joint venture between UCL and Inria, one of the leading French research institutes in computer science and applied mathematics. Inria have launched ‘The Inria London Programme’, an initiative to establish a presence in the UK and serve as a hub to increase collaborations with UK partners, such as universities, research institutes and the private sector. UCL has initiated this venture as a founding strategic partner.

The project is the brainchild of Dr. Benjamin Guedj who joined UCL in December 2018 as a Principal Research Fellow in Machine Learning, jointly to his Research Scientist position at Inria. One year down the road, in 2019, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between UCL and Inria following a visit to UCL by Prof. Jean-Frédéric Gerbeau (deputy CEO for Science at Inria) and Prof. Marc Schoenauer (adjunct for Artificial Intelligence). This move aligns with UCL’s strategy of collaborating with centres of excellence around the world, whilst for Inria partnering with a world-class university such as UCL fits well with its strategic plan.

Dr Bruno Sportisse, CEO Inria
” Establishing a partnership with a world-class player such as UCL is part of Inria ’s international strategy. We are tremendously excited about expanding our collaboration with UCL Computer Science and the Centre for Artificial Intelligence.”

The opportunity to work with the world-leading institute; Inria, was something we started to evolve a number of years back and I am delighted that today this is now a practical reality. The capacity to work on global-scale problems with leaders in the field and to have dedicated facilities in the AI Centre at 90 High Holborn to provide the space for interactions and group working is very exciting. The fact that we have persisted with the vision and brought it to fruition at this time under the pressure of a pandemic and the changing landscape of BREXIT is testament to the shared conviction and drive to collaborate as true partners. I am just delighted.” Professor Titchener-Hooker, Dean, UCL Faculty of Engineering Sciences

Prof Steve Hailes, Head of Department, UCL Computer Science: I am delighted that we are today able to announce a formal collaboration between UCL and Inria, the French national research institute for digital science and technology, housed in the AI Centre of the Department of Computer Science. This partnership has been two years in the making and is designed to grow and enhance both organisations ability to undertake world-class research on problems with global impact. I would like to pay particular tribute to the drive and enthusiasm of Dr Benjamin Guedj who is both a Principal Research Fellow in UCL Computer Science and a tenured research scientist at Inria, whose vision and persistence has been instrumental in helping establish this highly innovative venture. I very much look forward to working with our partners in France, remotely for now but, ultimately, building a shared physical presence at the AI Centre, driving forward the open exchange of researchers and ideas that underpins all world-class collaborations.

It is a great honour to finally launch The Inria London Programme in such excellent company. When I joined UCL two years ago on a sabbatical from Inria I could not have guessed what a journey it would be, and I am extremely proud of having contributed to such a new collaborative venture and humbled to serve as its scientific director. This would not have been possible without the unfailing and enthusiast support from both parties, at all levels. The Inria London Programme is the embodiment of an ambitious collaboration strategy: we are now calling to UCL and Inria members to make this project a success! We are aiming at materialising this with the very first joint research team between Inria and UCL [This would be Inria’s first joint project-team with an institution in the UK] and we are working hard to submit this to both Inria and UCL management in 2021.” Dr Benjamin Guedj, UCL Computer Science and Inria

If you are interested in learning more or participating in the programme, please contact Dr Guedj. Email: b.guedj@ucl.ac.uk
Website: Dr Benjamin Guedj

Watch the Inria London Programme kick-off event

Further Reading:

Inria (France) website

Dr Benjamin Guedj is Principal Research Fellow at UCL Centre for Artificial Intelligence

IMSS Annual Lecture and London Meeting on Computational Statistics

The end of April was an exciting time for our Department, hosting the annual lecture for the UCL Institute of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, and the London Meeting on Computational Statistics.

13 May 2026

Workshop registration - A mathematical Sciences Curriculum in the Age of Generative AI